1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates in general to cargo carrying vehicles and more particularly, to several embodiments of sidewall assemblies, with or without scuff strips, having refined widths in a vehicular van or trailer.
2. Summary of the Prior Art
In the past the sidewall structure of cargo carrying vans and trailers is constructed having a typical design and width. The useable capacity of the van or trailer is dependent in part on the width of the opposed sidewall assemblies. The width of long used sidewalls on a van and the like is at least 1.5 inches and comprises a plurality of hat-shaped side posts to which outer and inside side sheets which are riveted by a series of vertically aligned rivets. Attempts have been made to reduce the thickness of the standard sidewalls so that useable space of a van or trailer can be increased. An example of one prior art design for reducing sidewall thickness comprises a thick aluminum plate to which a shallow shaped beam is riveted at the vertical interface between adjacent plates. Such a known plate construction is capable of reducing the thickness of each opposed sidewall structure to approximately ⅝ inch. Other prior designs have also attempted to reduce the thickness of the sidewall by employing a pair of thin metal plates sandwiched over a polyethylene material to form a composite structure having no side posts or beams. The foregoing techniques present several disadvantages including higher weight repair costs, reduced number of logistic posts required for securing loads, or produce a highly flexible structure which may be unsuitable under all loading conditions. All of the known sidewall assemblies further require the extensive use of mechanical fasteners, such as rivets, that results in uneconomical labor costs and time in assembly as well as contributing to additional weight of the sidewalls. Accordingly, it is desirable in the prior art to provide sidewall assemblies for vans and trailers having an optimally thin cross section and which reduce cost of fabrication and assembly and maintains the weight compared to today""s standards.
It is therefore an objective of the invention to provide several embodiments of sidewall assemblies for use in trailers and vans which optimally reduce the thickness and weight of the side structures. The sidewall assemblies of the invention possess suitable higher strength and stiffness characteristics to resist bending and failure while possessing an optimally thin cross section for increasing the useable cargo or article carrying space within a van or trailer. The side assemblies herein disclosed have uniquely shaped side posts interconnecting with an outer side sheet and a plurality of plastic interior panels or liners or lower scuff sheet. The construction of the side assemblies permit the exchange of posts and sheets without significant disassembly of posts and liners in the event of any needed repair. The design of the sidewall herein disclosed reduces cross section thickness up to less than 0.50 inches and provides a smooth interior sidewall having a lighter color to lighten up the darkness of the interior of the van. The plastic liners may interlock with the side posts of the invention through use of a snap on construction, through a sliding insertion, or through mechanical fasteners. In some uses of the invention, the interior of the sidewall assemblies can be sealed in a manner to prevent a build-up of dirt and to maintain sanitary interior conditions. The spacing between the outer side sheet arid the plastic panel may include foam or protuberances to increase the rigidity of the sidewall structure of the invention. In all embodiments herein disclosed, the number of required mechanical fasteners is reduced as compared to prior art structures to increase the ease of assembly.